Wow, I hope Santa brings me one of those!

Oh on second thoughts, he dose not visit any more, bit like the tooth fairy!  Guess if I wait a few more years the tooth fairy should start visiting me again!!

Reigate is my home town and has several Curry-Houses.  Recently the wife and I tried worked our way through them in their 'TA' and delivered food capacity.

The Village B. was very salty indeed and did not taste quite 'right', in OUR opinion.  In fairness they may just have been having a 'bad night', but neither of us enjoyed it.

A couple of weeks latter my wife was walking home from the town centre (it only takes 7 minutes), her route taking her past the rear of the place.  It had been very windy and their wheely bins had blown over, disgorging their contents all over the street. MOST OF THE RUBBISH COMPRISED  (what looked like) CURRY 'READY-MEAL' RAPPERS!!!

If you go there, try hard to listen for the sound of a microwave going 'ping' when your meal is ready!

Popped into this place for lunch last Summer.  Had been into Waterstones to look for a copy of PCs 'Good Curry Guide', couldn't find one, but the bloke at the desk recommneded the Eastern Eye, turned out it was just round the corner, about 100yds away.

Fan-bloody-tastic! The lamb Bhuna especially!  The only (very slight) problem was getting the kid's buggy and a reticent wife up the stairs, as it's on the 1st floor.  The staff helped 'though!

I can't remember the address, but it's bang-smack in centre of town.

They do a lunch menu also, although we had the 'full-works'!

A

You're right Haldi, it does seem to be a bit of a puzzle. It's particularly interesting that you have been allowed to 'flash-up' your own curry in a curry-house kitchen, and got results as good as they produce, which I don't doubt for a moment.

That also knocks the 'cooking smells' notion on its head also. I'm partial to the odd 'Full English' cooked breakfast, but they  not good if I've cooked it myself! Presumably that's because: a) I'm a crap cook; or b) becasue I don't enjoy it so much, having had my palate temporarily spoiled by the cooking smells during the cooking. 

It's very difficult to account for this, Having read lots of your posts I would be very supprised if your ingredients were not up to scratch, so that leaves technique.  Are you sure you're not just being hard on yourself, do you really think your results are not as good as the one you cooked under supervision??

From what you have said I infer that you have seen big flames that did not seem hot.  I have noticed that also in kitchen footage on the TV.  A blue bunsen-burner type flame would be very hot as it is fully oxygenated, I seem to remeber also on a bunsen, it is possible to close a valve that admits air into the burner, giving a incandescent orange/red sooty flame that is a lot less hot.  Perhaps these large professional flame are not fully oxygenated, then they would be cooler.  Did the flames at your demos seem less blue (i.e. more orangey at the tips) than at home?

If garlic/ginger paste you saw was able to fry for some time without burning it does seem as though the flame must, if anything, be cooler!  A chef tipping the pan to ignit some of the hot contents does not necessarily mean the heatis very high.  I sometimes ccok a curry in a small wok (karahi sized), over a normal ring, but when the contents is really hot I sometimes scare the wife by deliberately letting it flare-up!  The result does not seem to taste any better though, for me at least!

One thing I would like is a few more demos!!

I don't have an electric or a 'poor' gas cooker; Chris303, I wonder if you have actually read all that I have written??  Perhaps you have just fixated on the line in bold at the bottom of my post!

Haldi, I am very well aware how a BIR chef cooks a curry, at least in one curry-house near me, as I seen a demo.  You may well have greater knowledge here, which I defer to.  HOWEVER, this chef cooked me the best madras I had eaten up 'till then, and he did not achieve it by using a high heat, or with specacular flames leaping out of the pan!  I have seen BIR chefs do this on the tele, but I suspect that is just 'showmanship', for the cameras, and is not necessary.

I'd be very grateful if you would both take the trouble to read my earlier posts in this same thread, they explain WHY I think that high heat in not essential.

Thanx guys.

I've got a little hand-blender, basically a handle containing a moter, a 'stalk' containing the 'drive-transfer', and a little fleared-out guard at the end housing a small rotating double blade.

Is this what everyone else uses?  I generally find it does not do a good enough job, so finish off by blending in a 'jug' blender in many lots untill complete.

On the t.v. a while back I saw footage of a curry-house kitchen, they uses one just like my mini-hand one, but giant version, looked about 2'6" long!

Anyone know where I can get one?

Looks REALLY tasty!!

I think you may be seeing the degree of penetration hightlighted by the red food colouring, they possibly use much more than you do, or is found in a jar of Pataks!

I don't want to seem like a 'party-pooper' but I feel that this thread is being hijacked somewhat!  It sems to turning into a general forum about technique, as opposed to questions about Bruce's stuff.  None of my business I know, I'm not a moderator!

I recall Bruce is quite specific about generating the required heat for cooking.  It may well be that an electric hob is not up to the job, but I believe that practically any gas hob IS!  I think that provided spices are fried 'till the "toffee" smell is produced it does not really matter how fierce your flames are!!

I have a 6 ring Smeg hob, now as it happens, I don't think it's 'much cop' for a variety of reasons ('wouldn't get another!) BUT it does have several sizes of burner, including a so-called wok burner for hight heat.  This burner is no where near the output of the sort of thing used in a commercial kitchen, but never the less it does kick out some joules!

I've tried frying my spices by a variety of methods:-

   - Over a moderate heat in a heavy cast frying pan on a 'normal' ring

   - In a wok over the wok ring, in a light thin wok, on the wok ring

I have found that provided I stop when I get the right smell, it makes NO difference to the final taste!  It is slighty eaier to ruin the spice by burning in the wok on the high heat, because it has less thermal inertia and can overheat quickly.  But that's it, end of story!  I made a Bhuna last night, and the kitchen still had the  BIR TA smell this morning.

I DON'T believe I'm an expert, and what I have learnt has largely been due to this site, BUT I REALLY BELIEVE THIS QUESTION OVER USING HIGH OUTPUT BURNERS IS BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE!

Thanks parker 21, guess I should have re-read Bruce's monograph!

Another question that bothers about 'base' manufacture (oh no! here I go again!), is fried garlic/ginger compared to blended-and-boiled-with-the-onions garlic and ginger!

I here what everyone says about garlic needing frying first.  I used to make a KD base in which it was blended and boiled.  I have now modified by base and fry the garlic & ginger (home made) puree in the oil, prior to adding spices to the oil followed by blitzed tinned tomarto and tomarto puree.  After a few mins I dump all the oil fried stuff in with the boiled onion mix and continue in the 'usual' way!

I have to say I can detect no discernable difference in the taste of the garlic / ginger in the final base no matter which method I use.  Not only Bruces's base but one or two others that are highly regarded on here involve just boiling garlic and ginger puree, this suggests that to some extent the 'just-dump-all-the-base-ingredients-in-one-pot' school of base preparation has a lot to recommend it!  Certainly saves time and faf!

Another thought, in Bruce's early stuff he sets great store by the 'tarka' part of base preparation, in which tomarto puree is fried then added to the base.  I recall he thought it very important and should be done in the final stages to avoid loss of flavour.  What has happened to all that business in the latest recommendation??